NBA News Blog – Page 333 – NBA Blog

Spurs re-sign center Drew Eubanks

The San Antonio Spurs yesterday re-signed center Drew Eubanks.

Eubanks, 6-10/245, has spent the past two seasons with the Silver and Black as a two-way player. During the NBA restart in Orlando, Eubanks appeared in all eight games and averaged 7.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.38 blocks in 17.6 minutes. The first two-way player to ever start a game for the Spurs, he has appeared in a total of 45 games for San Antonio, averaging 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 8.6 minutes while shooting 62.4 percent from the field.

Eubanks has played in 54 games with the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League affiliate, over the past two seasons. The former Oregon State Beaver averaged 16.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.20 blocks while shooting 63.6 percent from the field for Austin.

Rockets trade Trevor Ariza to Pistons for Christian Wood

The Houston Rockets yesterday acquired free agent forward/center Christian Wood from Detroit as part of a sign-and-trade.

The Rockets traded forward Trevor Ariza, the rights to Isaiah Stewart (16th pick in 2020 NBA Draft), a future Houston second round pick, and cash considerations to the Pistons in exchange for Wood, a future Detroit first round pick, and a future L.A. Lakers second round pick.

Ariza, the rights to Stewart, and a future Portland first round pick were acquired from the Blazers in exchange for forward Robert Covington on Nov. 22, 2020.

Wood (6-10, 223) was eligible for the 2015 NBA Draft following his sophomore season at UNLV. The 25-year-old finished eighth in voting for the Most Improved Player award in 2019-20 while averaging 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in 62 games for Detroit.

Over his final 22 games played last season, Wood averaged 19.7 ppg and 8.1 rpg while shooting 56.0% from the floor, 40.3% from 3-point range, and 77.4% from the foul line. For the season, he joined Enes Kanter (2016-17) as the only players in league history to have averaged at least 13.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg in fewer than 22.0 mpg in a single season.

Wood spent most of 2018-19 assigned to the Bucks G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd and ranked second in the league in scoring with 29.3 ppg and third in rebounding with 14.0 rpg. In 123 career G League games, Woods averaged 22.6 ppg, 10.9 rpg, and 1.8 bpg.

Knicks staff hirings announced, including Darren Erman as assistant coach

The New York Knicks announced today the following staff hirings: Darren Erman, assistant coach; Aaron Brooks, two-way liaison; Larry Greer, advance scout/assistant coach; Richard Williams, strength and conditioning coach; Reggie Johnson and TJ Zanin, scouts; and Ike Azotam, Christopher Santo and Gabriel Snider, assistant video coordinators.

Erman joins the Knicks as an assistant coach having served as Head Coach of the Maine Red Claws, the NBA G-League team affiliate of the Boston Celtics since 2019. The Red Claws finished third in the Eastern Conference with a 28-14 record, an increase of 19 wins from the previous season. He previously served as an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans (2015-18), Boston Celtics (2007-10, 2014-15) and Golden State Warriors (2010-14). During his time as an NBA assistant, he helped guide the Pelicans in 2017-18 to a 48-34 record, which was the franchise’s most wins since the 2008-09 season. This resulted in a trip to the Conference Semifinals. During his first stint in Boston, he worked alongside fellow assistant coach Tom Thibodeau and helped guide the Celtics to the 2008 NBA Championship, their first championship since 1986. In Golden State, he helped snap the Warriors five-year playoff drought, achieving their first 50-win season since 1993-94. Prior to coaching Maine, he also served as the Celtics Director of Scouting for the 2014-15 season. He began his coaching career at St. Anthony High School as an assistant coach (2003-05) and then at NCAA Division III Brandeis University as an assistant coach (2005-07). Erman attended Emory University where he was a student coach, graduating in 1997.

Brooks joins the Knicks after recently playing in Australia with the Illawarra Hawks in 2019. He played 10 seasons in the NBA, averaging 9.7 points and three assists over 20.8 minutes in 645 games (183 starts) for Houston, Phoenix, Sacramento, Denver, Chicago, Indiana and Minnesota. He played for Tom Thibodeau in Chicago during the 2014-15 season and in Minnesota during the 2017-18 season. Originally selected 26th overall by Houston in the 2007 NBA Draft, he was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2009-10 after averaging a career best 19.6 points, 5.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds over 35.6 minutes in 82 games (all starts). He played collegiately at the University of Oregon for four seasons.

Greer joins the Knicks with over three decades of coaching and scouting experience. He most recently spent one year with the Phoenix Suns as an assistant coach (2019-20). Prior to Phoenix, he spent two years with the Minnesota Timberwolves working under Tom Thibodeau, first as an advance scout (2017-18) and then as an assistant coach (2018-19). Previously, he worked for the Houston Rockets as an advance scout (2005-07) and for the Portland Trail Blazers as an advance scout (2007-10) and assistant coach (2010-12). In between stints with the Suns and the Timberwolves, Greer was an assistant coach at Arizona State University (2012-15) where he helped lead the Sun Devils to consecutive 20-plus win seasons as well as a 2014 NCAA tournament appearance. He started his coaching career as an assistant coach for Brandeis University (1989-1992) before coaching at Boston University (1994-95, 2002-03) and Wright State (2003-05).

Williams joins the Knicks from the Houston Rockets where he spent three seasons as the teams’ Sports Performance Enhancement Specialist (2017-2020). Prior to Houston, Williams spent 13 years with the Los Angeles Clippers (2004-2017) as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. He started his career with the Denver Nuggets in 2002 as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach after graduating from Western State College of Colorado with a degree in Kinesiology/Health Promotion and Wellness.

Johnson joins the Knicks after 25 years with the Dallas Mavericks where he started as a merchandising coordinator before moving into the role of video coordinator from 1997-2004. For the last 16 years, Johnson has worked with the Mavericks as an advance scout. He graduated from Southwest Baptist University in 1992, where he played football and was a two-time member of the All-MIAA conference team.

Zanin joins the Knicks after spending two seasons as the Director of College Scouting for the Charlotte Hornets. Previously, he served as a scout for the Charlotte Hornets (2015-17), Brooklyn Nets (2013-15), Los Angeles Clippers (2010-13) and Philadelphia 76ers (2005-2010). Zanin began his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies, spending three seasons with the team as a video coordinator (2001-05). From 2009-15, Zanin helped guide Team USA to three gold medals during his tenure as scout for USA Basketball. Prior to his time with Team USA, he was a scout for the Chinese National Basketball Team for two years (2006-08), during which China finished within the top eight at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the best in the country’s history. He graduated from West Chester University in 1998 with a degree in business management.

NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana rescheduled from 2021 to 2024

The NBA and the Indiana Pacers announced today that NBA All-Star in Indianapolis, which was originally scheduled for Feb. 12-14, 2021, will now be held Feb. 16-18, 2024. Public health conditions prevented the Pacers, the NBA All-Star Host Committee and the NBA from appropriately planning and executing fan-focused All-Star activities in Indianapolis that were envisioned for this February.

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will take place at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home of the Pacers, on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. Plans for a revised NBA All-Star 2021 will be announced at a later date.

“While we are disappointed that the NBA All-Star Game will not take place in Indianapolis in 2021, we are looking forward to the Pacers and the city hosting the game and surrounding events in 2024,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “I want to thank Herb Simon, Steve Simon, Rick Fuson and the entire Pacers organization as well as the NBA All-Star 2021 Host Committee and the community of Indianapolis for working with us to reschedule our All-Star activities.”

“We are excited about the opportunity to bring Indiana the very best All-Star experience in 2024,” said Pacers owner Herb Simon. “The efforts of so many Hoosiers to prepare for NBA All-Star 2021 put us ahead of the game for the hard work to come, and we are so grateful to the NBA for once again recognizing Indianapolis as a city that delivers world-class events.”

NBA All-Star 2024 in Indianapolis will follow Cleveland in 2022 and Salt Lake City in 2023 as All-Star host. The 2024 game will mark the second NBA All-Star in Indianapolis, which hosted the midseason classic in 1985.

Pelicans sign new center Steven Adams to contract extension

The New Orleans Pelicans and center Steven Adams have agreed to a multi-year contract extension.

Per multiple reports, it’s a two-year, $35 million extension through the 2022-23 season.

Adams, 7-0, 265, who was acquired by New Orleans in a four-team trade involving Denver, Milwaukee and Oklahoma City, has spent his entire seven-year career with the Thunder, appearing in 530 career regular season games, holding averages of 9.8 points on .589 shooting from the field, 7.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.0 blocks. The New Zealand native appeared in 63 games in 2019-20, averaging 10.9 points on .592 shooting from the floor, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 blocks. Selected 12th overall out of the University of Pittsburgh in the 2013 NBA Draft, Adams ranks fifth all-time in OKC/Seattle franchise history in blocks (531) and first in field goal percentage.

Cavs re-sign Matthew Dellavedova

The Cleveland Cavaliers have re-signed guard Matthew Dellavedova.

Dellavedova (6-3, 204) played in 57 games (four starts) for Cleveland this past season, averaging 3.1 points and 3.2 assists in 14.4 minutes. He shot .865 from the foul line and scored in double figures on three occasions. Dellavedova, who led the Cavs in assists 12 times and recorded a team-high 3.05 assist-to-turnover ratio in 2019-20, averaged 9.2 assists over the final five games of the season (March 2-10), including a 14-point, 11-assist performance in a win over San Antonio on March 8. He also became the first Cavalier since Feb. 5, 1993 (Terrell Brandon) to have a game of at least nine assists in under 20 minutes of play after accomplishing that feat on Jan. 7 versus Detroit.

Over his seven-year NBA career, Dellavedova has appeared in 434 regular season games (92 starts) with Cleveland and Milwaukee. He owns career averages of 5.6 points and 3.7 assists in 20.4 minutes while shooting .368 from three-point range and .838 from the free throw line. Undrafted out of Saint Mary’s (CA) College in 2013, the Australian native played his first three NBA seasons with Cleveland (2013-2016) and was a member of the Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA Championship team. After a two-year stint with the Bucks, Dellavedova returned to the Cavaliers as part of a three-team trade with Milwaukee and Washington on Dec. 7, 2018.

Nuggets convert two-way contract of Bol Bol to standard NBA contract

The Denver Nuggets have converted the two-way contract of Bol Bol to a standard multi-year NBA contract, President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Bol Bol, who will remain a rookie for the 2020-21 season as he did not appear in an NBA game prior to the hiatus on March 11th, appeared in seven games for the Nuggets during the seeding games in the Orlando Bubble and averaged 5.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting .500 from the field and .444 from beyond the arc.

The 21-year-old impressed in the Nuggets three scrimmage games prior to the Seeding Games in Orlando, posting averages of 13.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in 29.3 minutes per game. He also appeared in eight games for the Windy City Bulls of the G League in 2019-20, averaging 12.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 19.3 minutes.

Bol, 7-2, 220, was selected with the 44th overall pick by the Miami Heat in the 2019 NBA draft and was acquired by the Nuggets in a draft night trade. He appeared in nine games as a freshman for Oregon in 2018-19, averaging 21.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in 29.8 minutes before a season-ending foot injury. Bol reached double figure scoring in every game and tallied four double-doubles.

The 19-year-old native of Khartoum, Sudan, is the son of former NBA great Manute Bol who played 10 seasons for the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat.

Thunder sign-and-trade Danilo Gallinari to Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have acquired forward Danilo Gallinari (da-KNEE-lo gal-in-ARE-ee) and cash considerations in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder for a conditional 2025 second-round pick in a sign-and-trade transaction.

“Danilo checks a lot of boxes for what we have prioritized. We wanted to add productive veterans and high-level shooting to our group and he provides both. At his size, he is one of the league’s most versatile and efficient scorers and he has proven to be the type of veteran you want in your locker room,” said Hawks President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Travis Schlenk.

Last season in 62 games with Oklahoma City, the 6-foot-10 native of Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Italy averaged 18.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 29.6 minutes (.438 FG%, .405 3FG%, .893 FT%), ranking 16th in the league in three-pointers made (178), tied for 19th in three-point percentage and sixth in free-throw percentage. Over the last two seasons, Gallinari has averaged 19.3 points while shooting .418 3FGs (on 6.2 3FGA per game).

Through 11 NBA seasons, in 611 games (541 starts) with New York, Denver, the LA Clippers and Oklahoma City, Gallinari has averaged 16.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 30.9 minutes (.427 FG%, .380 3FG%, .873 FT%). He’s also seen action in 25 career postseason contests (all starts) with the Nuggets and Thunder, averaging 15.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 31.3 minutes.

Gallinari was the sixth overall pick by the Knicks in the 2008 NBA Draft following an Italian League MVP season with Olimpia Milano.

Born on August 8, 1988 (8/8/88), he will wear jersey No. 8.

Spurs re-sign Quinndary Weatherspoon to a two-way contract

You may not know who Quinndary Weatherspoon is, but the San Antonio Spurs do, and they like having him around. The team re-signed Weatherspoon, a guard, to a two-way contract.

Weatherspoon spent last season as a two-way player for the Spurs, playing in 11 games for San Antonio, plus 36 games in the G League for Austin. Averaging 1.1 points and 1.0 assists in 7.1 minutes with San Antonio, the first-year player posted 14.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.19 steals in 29.3 minutes for Austin.

Selected by the Spurs in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft (49th overall), Weatherspoon played four seasons of college basketball at Mississippi State and is one of just three players in school history to accumulate over 2,000 career points.

Lakers waive Jordan Bell

The Los Angeles Lakers waived center Jordan Bell today.

The Lakers had just recently acquired Bell, along with Alfonzo McKinnie, in their trade with the Cavs for JaVale McGee and a future second round draft pick.

Last season, Bell played in 29 games for the Timberwolves and Grizzlies, averaging 3.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game.

He has played in 154 career games (16 starts) for Golden State, Minnesota and Memphis, averaging 3.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 12.0 minutes per game.